A Fierce Heart
by Green Eyed Shadow
Summary: Sequel to An Absent Pulse. Their happily ever after was in their reach, until a family secret that nobody saw coming intercedes. One secret can change everything. Can Bella and Edward still have their happy after or will the new change ruin everything?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own anything of from the Twilight Series, all of it belongs to Stephenie Meyer. However, the plot does belong to me, because it was my idea.  
__**  
**_**Summary: **They had all their plans made. Their happily ever after was in their reach, until a family secret that nobody saw coming intercedes. One secret can change everything, can Bella and Edward still have their happy after, or will the new situations ruin everything? Sequel to **"An Absent Pulse"  
**  
Prologue: The Truth

Screams came from the upstairs quarters of the London estate. Many servants and nurses surrounded the woman as she laid in her bed, screaming and thrashing in pain. Her husband sat at her side, letting her squeeze his hand, helping in anyway he could. She looked so pitiful laying there, crying and sweating, panting and gasping for the pain to cease.

Her long, sandy locks were twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. Loose curls stuck against her wet, pale face. Her blue eyes were circled with dark, black circles; as if she'd gone numerous days without sleep. Teeth biting hard down against her lip, hard enough to bring blood, she stared up at her husband with the most pitiful look any person could have.

"Fredrick, isn't there another… way? The pain, I cannot stand it." she gasped, blinking tears out of her tired eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Florence. The only thing I know to do is let the birth take it's course. One of the medics will be up in a few minutes with the morphine. I'm so sorry, I've caused you so much pain." Fredrick couldn't stand watching his wife in such a condition, she was so young and delicate that it looked as if the child was going to kill her before it was born.

Florence sighed, her hand gripping tighter around his. "Hopefully the morphine will help. If something was to happen, please take care of our child. I do not want anything to happen to him, do you understand?"

He nodded, "I will not let anything happen to our son, love. Nothing is going to happen to you either."

Just as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, the quarter's door opened. In walked a male doctor with a silver tray in hand.

"Sir Fredrick, we've retrieved the morphine. We are trying to find the proper type of blade so we can start the cesarean. If we attempt for her to deliver the fetus vaginally, it'll kill her."

Florence looked up to the doctor with scared eyes. "Do whatever you have to do. I want to be able to see my son." The thought of dying and leaving her son behind without a mother scared her. Sure, Fredrick would be able to find himself a new queen instantly, and perhaps a queen that was of his own kind. But it wasn't the job of another woman to take place as his mother, it was hers, and she was going to fight to keep herself alive, even if the pain was killing her.

"Yes, madam. We will do everything in our power for this process to go as planned."

As the doctor prepared his objects, Fredrick lowered to look at his wife, his red eyes staring into her deep blue ones. They stared at each other for a long moment, and finally pulled away when the doctor told them the procedure was to begin.

"It will do you good to wait outside, sir. Considering your situation," he said kindly.

He nodded and leaned down, pecking Florence's lips before he left the room.

Unable to sit, he paced the halls; worrying about what could happen to his wife. If she was to die while giving birth to the child, he didn't know how he'd be able to handle it. To have to stare into the child's eyes, knowing that the half-blooded creature took the life of the woman he loved? How could any man possibly deal with such a thing?

Many minutes passed, and it only made Fredrick more nervous and worried about what was going to happen. Just as he turned to take a walk outside, he heard the wailing cry of a child coming from the room Florence was in. He flew to the door, opening it to see a child being placed into his wife's arms.

One of the doctors tried to approach him- to keep him from coming up, but he pushed passed the man. Not caring that had it caused him to stumble to the floor as he walked to his wife's side.

"Oh Fredrick, he looks just like you," Florence cried, tears of joy falling from her eyes. The painful expression she'd had minutes ago was now gone, and her expression was not able to be put into words.

Fredrick stared down at the child, a large smile coming upon his face - to see both of them alive. His finger ran across the child's cheek, and he knelt onto the floor so that he was at their level.

"He's the most beautiful child I've ever seen," he said happily. If he'd been able to produce tears, he would have shed many. The king had never had cause to cry before, but he had reason now. "What will we name him?"

Florence looked to her husband, and back down at the child, a puzzled look on her face. It took her a few seconds to answer, but when she did, she was smiling ear to ear.

"His name will be Carlisle."

* * *

**A/N: **And I'm back people!! Sorry it took forever to post this, it took me a long time to get out of my writer's block and writing again. Your probably like, this isn't about Bella and Edward? Well, if you read it good enough, and read the summary, perhaps you can debate on what's going to happen. I need a big thanks to my beta **typing-pictures** , if it hadn't been for her I wouldn't have been able to have gotten motivated. She helped a lot, even thought it's less than 1000 words. Well, I hope everyone sticks around to see what's going to happen to Bella and Edward's family. =)  
Thanks!!  
**-Granite Paws-**


	2. Hospital

**F Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything from the Twilight series; it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. However, the plot does belong to me, because it was my idea._

**Summary:** They had all their plans made. Their happily ever after was in their reach, until a family secret that no one saw coming intercedes. One secret can change everything, can Bella and Edward still have their happy after, or will the new situations ruin everything? Sequel to **"An Absent Pulse"**

**Chapter 2:** Hospital

The sun outside shined bright against the scarlet and pink plaid curtains that covered the only window in the room, causing it to glow red inside. For an October day in Forks, Washington, it sure was sunny- I was use to it being cold and rainy this time of year. I stretched slightly in the hospital bed, wincing as the stitches in my stomach stretched when my arms rose above my head. Blinking away the blurriness, I looked around to see that neither Caleb, nor Edward were in the room. I sighed, ever since Caleb had been born, I'd barely been able to see him. It'd been a week since I'd had him, and the doctors told me that he wouldn't be released until they could find out what was causing his absent pulse.

Tears started to swell in my eyes. Ignoring the pain, I brought my legs up to my chest, hugging them. I didn't do anything wrong while I was pregnant, so what could possibly be wrong? From cat scans to MRIs- and a whole bunch of other things, they still couldn't find anything. Dr. Cullen was the best doctor in Forks, why couldn't he come up with a damn conclusion? A week he'd been in this world, and there was already something wrong with him. _Should I be the one to blame?_

Rubbing the tears out of my eyes, I stared down at the controller that lay on the bed. My hand slowly hovered over the red "nurse" button, as I went to press it shakily. I wanted to see my son, but I was also scared to see him. I'd only seen him twice, and each time had only been for one hour.I hadn't been able to make even the slightest bond with him yet.

"Yes Miss Swan, what can I do for you?" A nurse's voice echoed through the speaker, startling me. I took a deep breath, trying to push away the shaky voice I usually had whenever I cried.

"I wanted to see if you could bring in my son." Was it so much to ask? I didn't want my child to think of me as a stranger. I would have enough problems with him as it is, than to have that one added on as well.

"Yes, you may. He'll be there in just a minute." I smiled slightly, excitement and fear both filling up inside. I slowly got up from the bed, and started making it, so I wouldn't have to when I had him. As I put the pillow back in its place, the door opened and the nurse pushed the carriage in.

"Here is your little bundle of joy," the nurse cooed. "Just let us know whenever you're ready for him to go back," she said, and with that she left.

Walking over to the small plastic carriage in which he laid; dressed in a green sleeper and a blue blanket wrapped around him. I slid one hand under his head, the other under his back, and brought him up to my chest- snuggling him closely. I walked over to the bed and sat down.

He came out weighing only three pounds, but thankfully everything was developed perfectly. He had a lot of hair; bronze curls just like Edward's, except the curls he got from Charlie. He had my chocolate brown eyes. I sighed, thinking of Charlie.

After I'd woken up from the cesarean, he'd given me the permission to move out with Edward- excepting that it was what I wanted. Alice and Esme were supposed to have fixed up the nursery for him in the new apartment Edward had rented us. I could feel chill bumps coming up on my arms as I thought about what living with Edward would be like. The idea of being able to be alone with him each day delighted and scared me at the same time, but I knew everything would work out.

Caleb's eyes slowly opened, and as he looked at me, he produced a small cooing sound that brought tears to my eyes. Leaning down to kiss his head, the door to the room opened, and in walked Edward.

""You're up already? I'm sorry I thought you would still be sleeping. I went down to the lounge to grab a bite to eat." He crossed the room, walking over to the bed, and sat down beside me. He reached up, cupping my face as he turned it to look at him, and pressed his lips against mine for one long moment. "How is he doing?"

"He seems to be doing okay." _But was he?_ I thought. I couldn't concentrate on anything else but Caleb. Even turning away for the slightest second, I felt like he was just going to disappear, like all of it was a dream. I wanted to help him in every way I could, but there wasn't anything that I could do. I felt so helpless that it just made me want to scream.

"Bella, what's the matter?" Edward asked, wiping stray tears from my eyes.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm just so worried that something else is going to happen. First he's born early, then diagnosed with an absent pulse, what next? For all I know something very serious could happen. Have you even taken into thought that he could just die right before our eyes?" I choked out.

"Bella," he hugged me closely to him, bringing Caleb into our embrace, "Sweet heart, nothing is going to happen to him. They would have told us if it was really that serious. It's not going to do any good worrying so much. We need to be here for him, he doesn't need to sense your pain."

"And how am I supposed to do that, Edward? I can't keep from worrying about everything that is going on."

I jumped slightly at the sound of the door opening, and to my surprise it was Dr. Cullen. Closing the door behind him, he walked into the room- seating himself in an armchair next to the bed. Could he have found out what was wrong with his grandson? "I have some news for the both of you," he said calmly. "Which would you prefer first, the good or bad?"

Edward and I both exchanged looks and said "bad".

He nodded. "The bad news is that we still don't know what is causing Caleb's absent pulse here, but his cause is still under investigation."

"And the good?" I quickly asked.

"Well, the good is that the both of you are free to go home. We have no reason to keep him here any longer. We've ran all the tests we possibly could, and have drained enough blood from him that we have enough to use on other tests if needed."

"But shouldn't he be kept here? Something serious could go wrong at home, and he won't be under a doctor's supervision." I looked down at Caleb in my arms. The thought of him being released without a diagnostic solution to what was the matter with him scared me madly, but the thought of being able to go home to my new home; with the two men I loved more than anything in the world was something I'd wanted all week.

"He will be under my supervision a few hours daily. I will be going to your apartment everyday to see how he's doing. Not only will the doctor's here be trying to see what's causing it, but I will be as well."

"So you have no theory or guess to what could be causing this, dad?" Edward spoke curiously.

A worried look came across Carlisle's face, but he immediately cleared it with a serious expression. "If I knew what was wrong, son, I would have told you the second I found out. Notify a nurse when you have everything ready, and she will take you down to the parking garage. Edward, your mother wants the three of you over for dinner tomorrow evening if Bella feels any better. If you'll excuse me, there's more patients that I have to attend to." Giving a smile, he walked out of the room.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me, but I tried to ignore it. Was it me or was his father acting the slightest bit strange? Sighing, I snuggled into Edward's embrace, resting my head on his shoulder. "Well if that's it, then let's go home, Edward."

**EPOV**

The ride home was peaceful. It had started raining as soon as we pulled out of the hospital's parking garage. Typical, but for once, instead of the dreading the constant change that Mother Nature pulled over Forks, I was glad. The sound soothed the panicked nerves around me. Bella was more scared about the whole situation than I was, but I had confidence in my father. I understood that if he said there wasn't anything he could do at the time being, there wasn't.

"Bella, would you like me to stop and get you something to eat before we go home?" I asked, looking into the rearview mirror to see her. She was sitting in the back with the baby.

"No, I'm okay. I'll just make a sandwich when we get home," she responded tiredly. I could tell she was tired, she should be. She wasn't the only one who was looking forward to just climbing in bed and going to sleep.

The ride finally came to a cease ten minutes when I pulled into the gravels of a single townhouse that was surrounded by a large yard and many different trees. I heard Bella gasp from the back, and that was a good sign- She liked it.

I pulled an umbrella out from under the passenger side's seat and opened it once I was out of the car. Opening the back door, I took Caleb's car seat off of its base, and pulled it out of the car. After helping Bella out, we walked up the stairs and to the door.

"It's very nice, Edward. Are you sure we can afford it?" I felt her body stiffen against mine at the crackles of thunder and lightning that surrounded us, and I quickly unlocked the door to let her in.

When I flicked on a light I regretted it. A loud "surprise" came from the center of the living room, where a group of people stood behind a beaming Alice. God damnit.

"What are you doing here?" Bella and I asked at the same time. I could tell Bella wasn't thrilled by this, and neither was I.

"Dad told us that Bella was going to be released today, so I thought it'd be nice to through Caleb a baby shower since we never got to before. Come on Miss Mommy, it's time for us to see the baby," Alice squealed in delight. Prancing over to Bella's side, the group of girls –Alice, Angela, Jessica, and Leah- surrounded Bella, "awing" Caleb whom she was now holding. While they started to chatter, I walked over to the corner where the guys, –Emmett who was in town for a few months, Jasper, Jacob, Ben, and Mike- stood.

"It wasn't our idea," Jasper promised quickly. "Alice and I were out eating lunch and the next thing I know she started jumping up and down, squealing that Bella and the baby was coming home and she was going to put together a fast baby shower." I knew how Alice was, and when it came down to a celebration she was the first one on her feet.

"Well, there isn't anything we could do now. We were just hoping to come home and get some rest, but I guess we'll do that later on," I said, stifling a yawn plopping down on the love seat between Jacob and Jasper.

I could hear Bella over talking with Alice while the other girls took turns holding Caleb. "Alice, why did you do this for? I was hoping to just come home and get some rest with Edward and the baby, not to come and celebrate." She didn't look happy at all.

"Oh hush it, Bella. You should have known that I wasn't going to let you come home without the slightest bit of a celebration. So go over there, sit your butt down, smile like you're happy, and get ready to eat."

I saw Bella flash me a "help me" look, but Alice finally convinced her and she took a seat into the chair she'd been motioned to. Alice removed a cloth that covered a large circular table that sat in the middle of the room, revealing many bowls and plates of food.

Since I had already eaten before leaving the hospital, I took Caleb from Bella and sat down in the recliner to rock him to sleep. I caught her staring at him at times, as if she wanted to take him and tend to him herself, but I shook my head "no", and beckoned her to eat. I could tell how frustrated and tired she was, but she tried to go along with everything and act as happy as possible around the others.

After everyone had finished their share of food, Alice started passing around cards and place markers for the first game they were going to play; Baby Bingo. To all the guys, it seemed a bit ridiculous, but Alice gave everyone a mouth full of threats, and they finally began to play along. Bella won twice in a row, then Emmett and Ben had tied; they each received a small gift for their win.

A few games proceeded, and the last one that was played seemed to get the guy's attention more than anything since it contained alcohol. Alice had filled all of us four ounce baby bottles filled with beer. The rules of the game were that you had to drink all of the beer from the needle point sized hole in the bottle's nipple, without making a bigger one, since it was considered cheating.

Bella even joined in on the laughter as she watched me to trying to suck the beer from the tiny holed nipple. How did baby's even drink from these things? To everyone's surprise Jacob had been the one who won, and he wasn't even a drinker. Everyone started picking on him, saying that he wasn't as innocent as he looked; that he probably snuck around and drunk whenever he wasn't with Leah.

Presents were open after everyone one calmed down from the silliness of the games. Caleb had received many new outfits that were to be added to his growing collection, along with diapers and other baby necessities. The most surprising gift had been from had been from Emmett, and it had been a gift to us; a completely furnished romantic three night stay in Seattle.

After everything was cleaned up, we all just sat around talking. Everyone was curious about what was wrong with Caleb, and I the only thing I could say was that I didn't know. "My dad and the hospital are still investigating on his case, but other than that I can't say anything because I don't even know."

Talking among them, I ended my conversation with Ben and when I turned around to walk over to Bella- she was asleep. Sitting there on the couch, her head rested on its arm as she held Caleb to her chest. The circles under her eyes were more visible than they had been before.

"I think it's time to end this party everyone, Bella's asleep," I pronounced. No one had noticed her being asleep until I said something.

"We can still continue, can't we?" Alice asked with a sigh.

"No," I said bluntly. She already had me mad. "You don't realize how much stress everything has put towards Bella and I the past week, and the three of us need our rest."

"He's right Alice; we can come back tomorrow and visit them. Look how tired she looks," Jasper chimed in.

Everyone bide their goodbyes and good lucks, after they all left I sighed in relief; finally peace and quiet. Gently taking Caleb from Bella's arms, I took him upstairs to his nursery to change and feed him. After he was asleep, I placed him in his crib. Covering him up, I went back downstairs to retrieve Bella.

She looked like a helpless child the way she laid curled up, sound asleep. Scooping my arms behind her back and under her legs, I picked her up and carried her upstairs to our room. Surprisingly, after changing her clothes and taking off her shoes, she was still asleep.

My eyes glanced over to the clock and it read nine o'clock. Changing into just a pair of sweats, I crawled into bed; wrapping my arms around her, snuggling against her back. There was something bothering me, and I didn't realize what it was until I started dreaming. Bella was unusually cold, icy cold.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry everyone for not updating in over a month. I got a writer's block against anything really Twilight related and it disabled me from writing. Plus having to care for my two year old, being pregnant, plus watching two extra kids to bring in extra cash doesn't help. I've been stressed as hell and I've not been able to concentrate on anything. I don't want to give anything away on the story, but if you read the prologue really good then perhaps you understood what's going on. If you really would like me to ruin it for you, PM me and I can tell you just a tad bit of what is going on. Well hope you like it. I love _Reviews, PM'S, and Flames_, so fill my email box up with alerts!  
**~Amanda!!~  
–Granite Paws--**


	3. Unusual Symptoms

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own anything of from the Twilight Series; all of it belongs to Stephenie Meyer. However, the plot does belong to me, because it was my idea._

**Summary:** They had all their plans made. Their happily ever after was in their reach, until a family secret that nobody saw coming intercedes. One secret can change everything, can Bella and Edward still have their happy after, or will the new situations ruin everything? Sequel to **"An Absent Pulse"**

Chapter 3: Unusual Symptoms

The argument was getting us no where. The bickering between us was going back and forth, and never came to an end. When was all of this going to stop?

"Edward, your making this much more of a deal than it really is. How do you know that something is really wrong? I could just have a low temperature, it's not a something to fight over," I argued, repeating myself for the fourth time.

"You don't understand, Bella. What else would be causing you to feel so cold? If you can tell me a good reason why, then perhaps I'd listen to you, but since you can't, that's the reason I want you to be check," Edward snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "That's the reason I want you to go, dammit, to see what's wrong. Hell for all we know, it could be nothing. I just want to have you checked because I don't want what you have to be contagious or anything, and for us to have more problems with Caleb than we're already having."

I gasped; his words felt like a smack across the face. "Do you think I'd honestly risk the health of my son by being around him if I was sick? What do you think that I'm some kind of contamination?! If you think I'm going to make him worse, than you take care of him!" Tears fled my eyes as I placed Caleb down onto our bed and stormed out of the bedroom and down the hall into the bathroom, locking myself inside.

I began to cry loudly into my hands, unable to keep the tears back any longer. Everything that was going on was finally getting to me; I couldn't handle it anymore. I fell back against the door, sliding myself down until I was sitting on the floor. My arms immediately wrapped around my legs, and I started rocking myself as I sobbed uncontrollably.

What was going on? First Caleb and now me? I couldn't take the pressure anymore. The past few weeks had literally been hell. What Edward couldn't understand was that it wasn't only the whole seeing Carlisle and being prescribed medication part, it was because I was scared as well. I already had a child who was having enough problems as it was; I didn't have the time to worry about myself.

There was a knock on the door. "Bella, honey will you please open the door? I'm sorry, I'm just trying to make things easier on us," Edward pleaded from outside the door. I knew that everything was stressing him out as well, but how did he think I felt? I was at home all day, without an escape for five minutes from all the worries.

I didn't answer; I couldn't face him now. I felt bad for yelling at him the way I did, but I wasn't the only one at fault, he was as well. The coldness my body was producing wasn't a sickness, because I wasn't sick. There was something else causing it; I just didn't know what. There were a few minutes of silence and then I heard him heave a sigh. "I'm going to put Caleb in his crib; I've got to go to school. I'll see you later, love. Please consider what I said."

I heard his footsteps echo away and the downstairs door finally opened and shut. He was attending school until he finished one last credit; enabling him to graduate this year, which was a year early considering next year was when he was supposed to have graduated.

I tried taking a few minutes to calm myself down, but I was interrupted by Caleb's cry sounding through the hall. Sighing, I got up from the floor and went to his room. Gently, I picked him up and cradled him to my chest, and walked downstairs to make him a bottle. He was still so little that I caught myself hugging him closer to me than necessary.

After his bottle was made I sat down in the recliner next to the door and began feeding him. Within ten minutes he'd already finished his four ounce bottle, and was crying for more. "Baby, please stop crying. If I give you anymore, you're going to make yourself sick," I cooed into his ear, which only made the situation worse.

This was the reason I wasn't going to have Dr. Cullen check me to see what was wrong, because I was having so many problems with Caleb. Not only was his pulse still a mystery, but his hunger issues were becoming ridiculous. Barely four weeks old and he was drinking eight ounce bottles every two hours. I'd called Esme to ask her if there was a possibility that I could add the slightest bit of rice or oatmeal cereal to his bottles, but she said he was still too young.

The ounces he was drinking were normally what a child in the six or seven month range would drink, not a four week old. He acted like he wasn't getting enough to eat, like there was something more he wanted, but what else was there?

The only thing he was able to consume was milk for crying out loud! Something even stranger was that he wasn't gaining weight. All the milk he was drinking and yet he'd only gained half a pound since he'd left the hospital; which now added up to exactly four pounds. I'd been unable to produce enough breast milk to feed him on a daily basis, so I had to give him formula.

I had no clue what was going on, but I had to find an explanation, and fast, before matters got worse.

---

I was just laying Caleb down for his afternoon nap when I heard the front door open and close. I walked down the stairs to find Edward tossing his jacket on the couch.

"Hey." My voice came out in a whisper. I was still embarrassed about my reaction earlier.

"Afternoon," Edward responded bluntly. He walked over to me, pecking me a kiss on the cheek, and walked into the kitchen. Damn, he was still mad.

"I'll get you something to eat. I made pasta salad; if you prefer something else I will fix it." He seemed to ignore me because he walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the glass bowl the food was in. "Edward, go sit down I'll serve it to you." I went to take it from his hands, but he tried to pull it away from my grasp.

"I can make my own food Bella." The both of us began to tug at the bowl.

"I know that, but I want to do it. Edward, please, I've got -" CRASH! The bowl slipped from both of our hands and crashed to the floor. Shaking my head, I walked over to the kitchen's pantry for the broom.

"I made the mess, I'll clean it up," Edward said from behind me. Just as I turned around, Edward was trying to take the broom and dustpan out of my hand.

"Fine, take them!" I snapped, shoving them into his arms. "I'm tired of trying to do something right and not even getting appreciated for it." I could feel the tears swell in my eyes as I stared at him for the longest second. Breaking our gaze, I moved away from him to leave the kitchen and go back upstairs. My foot was on the first stair when Edward's hand grabbed my arm and turned me around, slamming me into his chest. His arms wrapped around me, and I felt my body go limp in his embrace. It felt so good to just be close to him; I wrapped my arms tight around his waist.

"I'm sorry Bella, for this morning. I was just trying to make things easier on you and I was stupid not to ask you what I could do to help; instead I jumped to conclusion, and it only made us argue. Will you forgive me, love?" The dulcet tone of his beautiful voice whispered into my ear. How couldn't I forgive that?

"Yes Edward, I forgive you." I looked up at him, and he pressed his lips softly against mine. "It was my fault as well, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I should've let you explain, but I didn't. I was wondering if we _could_ go see Carlisle, not for myself, but for Caleb."

His eyes widened, turning to look upstairs. "What's wrong with him? Is he okay?" He asked worriedly.

"No, no," I shook my head. "I just want him to take a look at him, and to see what I can do about his eating habits. He was crying for almost an hour earlier because I wouldn't give him more than four ounces to eat."

"So why didn't you give him more? The tyke could just be extra hungry, Bella." Edward said softly.

"Because Edward. Eight ounces for a four week old infant is _way_ too much for him to consume. His weight's also worrying me because with all the food that he eats, he isn't gaining any weight."

He nodded. "I'll call my dad while you're getting Caleb ready. Make sure you bundle him up, it's cold out." He stared down at me, and heaved a heavy sigh. "I love you, Bella, never forget that." I nodded, pecking him a kiss on the lips, and then went upstairs to wake Caleb.

---

While Edward and Carlisle were examining Caleb, I sat in the dining room with Alice. Esme had encouraged

Edward and I to sit down and eat dinner before Carlisle looked at Caleb, so we all sat down and ate a nice Italian dish before after arriving.

"You and Edward should really use that three day stay in Seattle that Emmett gave you the day of the baby shower, you really need it. You don't even look like Bella anymore; you seem lost." Alice commented as we sat at the table alone.

"Well thanks for encouraging my postpartum blues," I huffed a sigh. "It's not as easy as it looks, being a mother; a fiancé. I would do anything to just to be able to sleep through the night just once, but Edward and I have Caleb, and we have to take care of our responsibilities. We can't just go off anytime we want."

"I wasn't saying that, Bella. You know good and well that my mom and dad would take good care of him if you two were to go; it isn't like he'd be in an environment he didn't know. Plus, it'd give my dad more time to check into everything that's going on with him."  
I shook my head. "I don't know, Alice. Edward and I would have to do serious talking before we went off like that. I don't even think I'd be able to leave him."

She rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't _be_ leaving him, you would just be going on a three night stay to get away from all the stress you've been going through the past few weeks."

I shrugged. "As I said, I don't know. Perhaps I'd consider it, but I really doubt I'll do it."

I could tell that Alice was about to argue against my response, but she immediately stopped when Carlisle and Edward -who was carrying Caleb- came into the room. Edward gave me a weary smile.

"How's everything going here, girls?" Carlisle asked.

The both of us nodded. "Everything's well, thanks. Did you find anything wrong with him?" I immediately asked.

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but instead Carlisle spoke up. "Well, yes and no. I really cannot find a reason for him to be so hungry the way he is, but I have some drops here that I want you to put into his bottle every time he eats," he said, handing me a small bottle with a dropper as the top. "The drops are extracts of herbal leaves, so there is nothing to worry about. Edward and Alice both were the same way when they were his age, and this is the same remedy I used on them; it worked perfectly."

I nodded, glancing from the bottle to Caleb. "And how many drops am I supposed to give him?"

"Three. It will more in likely change the color of the milk, but there's no need to worry. I'm not really sure what color it'll turn out to be, but whatever the color don't worry about it. It usually depends on the type of formula you're giving him," he said with a determined smile.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. Maybe it'll keep him full throughout the night, and Edward and I will be able to get a bit more sleep in. It's very stressful having to go all day and night with little to no rest."

He nodded. "It's understandable, Bella. Well, if this is it then I think I should be retreating back to my office. I need to document some of the paperwork into Caleb's file so I can take it to the hospital tomorrow. Is there anything else you need?"

Edward and I both shook our head. "No dad, I believe that is all."

"Very well, then. Alice, I believe your mother wanted you to help her with something in the room we've set up for Caleb, so if you'd do that I'd appreciate it. I hope you two have a good night, I'll see you later," and with that, he left.

"Do you know what mom was wanting, Edward?" Alice asked puzzled.

He nodded. "She wanted you to help her with panting the rest of the room and adding the border, unless you were doing homework that is."

"No, I'm done. I guess I'll talk to you guys whenever you're back over than. I'll call you tomorrow, Bella," Alice said, and she left as well.

Getting up from where I sat, I walked over to Edward and Caleb, looking down at him as he slept. "How was my baby while he was with his daddy?" I asked Edward, leaning close to him.

Edward wrapped his free arm around my waist, and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "He didn't cry the slightest bit. It's weird; he gives you all kinds of trouble, but when he's with me, I never hear a peep."

I laughed silently. "That's because you're not around all of the time. I think he misses you throughout the day, so that could be why he's always so grouchy."

Edward smiled. "At least _someone _misses me."

Gently, I pinched his arm, causing him to jump. "If you don't think I miss you, than I guess you'll see whenever the six weeks is up. I bet you'll be very surprised then."

He looked at me, mouth hanging open. "What do you plan to do, Miss soon-to-be-Cullen?"

I smirked. "That's for me to know and for you to find out. Come with me to the kitchen, I'm going to feed Caleb a bottle before we leave."

He nodded and followed behind me. Placing Caleb's bag onto the counter, I took out a clean bottle and filled it with four ounces of the purified water that sat I'd brought. After adding the powder and shaking it up, I opened the bottle that Carlisle had given me and added the amount of drops he'd told me.

Shaking it up once more, I put both of the bottles tops back on and turned to Edward. "Hmm, it's between a pink and red. Why couldn't it be blue or something? Red is for girls," Edward rolled his eyes and I just laughed, looking at the bottle again.

"I wonder what it tastes like." Opening the bottle, I breathed in the smell of it, and my mouth began to water. I'd never had anything to make my water so much in my life. I breathed in the scent once more before I put the top back onto it. I couldn't make out what it smelt like, but I knew I'd smelt it before. What could it be?

"Edward, smell these drops... do they smell familiar to you?" I asked him, holding the bottle up to his nose.

Edward sniffed the bottle and a shocked look fell upon his face. "Yeah, it does smell familiar... but I don't know what it is. Whatever it is smells really good though." Edward took in another sniff as I pulled the bottle away.

I shrugged, "Well as long as it helps with Caleb's eating, I don't care what it is."

I lifted Caleb out of Edward's arms and carried him to the living room, sitting in the rocking chair that Esme kept in the corner. "Here you go buddy, let's try this." I cooed as I held the bottle up to Caleb's mouth. He instantly started sucking the bottle down and in a matter of seconds it was gone. It seemed like it was just like every other time I fed him, but then, when he finished... he didn't cry, he smiled!

"Edward! It worked!" I said excitedly. "I don't know what your father gave him, but he seems satisfied..."

"Really? That's great! We'll have to ask him what those drops are made of... but for now, let's just go home. He's busy, and I'd like to see if being less hungry means we get some sleep!"

I smiled at the thought of sleep. "Deal." I laughed.

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**A/N: **Finally! I'm so sorry to keep everyone waiting; I've had a bad month. Mum was in the hospital for over a week for a heart attack; I've been back and forth to the doctor because of pregnancy complications, and my son Jaden has been sick. So yes, everything has been a disaster, but thankfully, everything is becoming calmer now. I think everyone has pretty much guessed what is going on, but nothing will be revealed until later chapters. So, what do you think about a lemon for next chapter? Or what do you think should happen? Let me know through a review or a PM. I love REVIEWS, PM'S, AND FLAMES. So make sure to feel my inbox. Hope you like it … =)  
[] Amanda []  
--Granite Paws--


	4. Noche Por Dos

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own anything of from the Twilight Series, all of it belongs to Stephenie Meyer. However, the plot does belong to me, because it was my idea._

**Summary:** They had all their plans made. Their happily ever after was in their reach, until a family secret that nobody saw coming intercedes. One secret can change everything, can Bella and Edward still have their happy after, or will the new situations ruin everything? Sequel to** "An Absent Pulse"**

Chapter 4:_ Noche Por Dos_

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Today wasn't the best day to be out driving considering how bad the weather was, but what day was in Washington? Thunderstorms were to get worse later on in the week, so at least we were leaving now rather than then. The rain poured down outside as Edward drove, his eyes focused on the road.

I couldn't keep my thoughts from drifting to Caleb, but I was his mother, I had a right to worry. I wasn't used to being away from him, especially for three days. I knew he was being perfectly taken care of, Alice and Esme would do a perfect job, but just the thought of him not being with me felt like I was abandoning him or something. It made my heart ache.

We'd taken up on Alice's suggestion to go ahead and go to Seattle for our three day stay that Emmett purchased for us, because the winter weather would indeed be coming in anytime, and traveling wasn't the best thing to do when it was snowing. We didn't know what to expect, but it was probably something fancy - which I had a hard time getting used to - since Emmett had a fair share of money himself.

My eyes drifted over to Edward, who sat motionless as he focused on the road. I assumed he could feel me staring because he smiled and leaned over to kiss my lips. I could tell by his mood that he was really looking forward to this three day stay; not just the two of us being alone, but of the things we were capable of doing now as well.

"What are you thinking about, Bella? You seem to be lost in thought," Edward asked me, putting his arm around me and pulling me as close as I could be to him.

I shrugged. "Just about Caleb. I guess it's just a mother's worry; I can't seem to get him off my mind for the slightest second."

Edward shook his head. "You know there is nothing to worry about. We've barely been away from him three hours. Would you like to call Esme to check on him?"

I thought about it for a moment and then sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I think I will." He pulled his phone from his pocket, handing it to me. I pushed the speed dial button that Esme's number was programmed into, and let it ring, waiting for her to answer.

"Hello?" Esme answered, in her classic, soft, sweet voice. "Hi Esme, it's Bella. I was just calling to see how Caleb was doing." I could feel my cheeks turning the slightest bit of pink as I overreacted about the whole situation.

She chuckled softly. "I was expecting you to call soon. He's doing perfect, haven't heard a peep out of him. He's sitting here in his swing, watching me cook at the moment. Is everything okay?"

I nodded; as if she could see me. "Yeah, everything's fine. We should be getting to Seattle in about an hour or so. Edward asked me if I wanted to call and see how Caleb was doing, he's been on my mind ever since I dropped him off."

"Well, I'm glad you called. You don't have to worry about him, Bella. He's perfectly fine. If something was to go wrong; I'd immediately call you, but nothing is going to happen. You two have a nice weekend, and I'll call you tonight if you wish- to let you know how he's doing. Okay?"

I smiled. "Okay, that's very nice of you. I'll talk to you then," I hang up the phone; breathing in a deep sigh of relief.

"Feel any better?" Edward asked, his hand brushing against my cheek as he took the phone from my hand, placing it back into his pocket.

"A little," I admitted. "I'll be better later," I teased, pecking a few soft kisses against his neck.

"Don't tease me now, love, or we'll never make it," He chuckled. Sighing, I rested my head on his shoulder, watching the windshield wipers fly back and forth on full speed as they kept the windshield clean. After a few minutes my eyes became heavy, and the last thing I heard was Edward saying "sleep, love" before I drifted out on consciousness.

I could feel the car slowing down, but I didn't open my eyes to see if we were arriving yet or not. The thought of just being able to rest for the next three days overwhelmed me. Neither Edward nor I had truely relaxed since Caleb was born, due to his constant need of attention. The drops Carlisle had given him the week before seemed to be doing him good because he rarely ever cried anymore.

"Bella, look at this," Edward said aloud, nudging my arm gently. I open my eyes slowly and gasp in amazement as we pull up to a building that looks over forty stories tall. There had to be some kind of mistake, could this really be it?

"Are you sure this is Pan Pacific Seattle?" I asked him. Edward merely pointed to the name that was written on a canopy type cloth that hung over the door, that indeed said _Pan Pacific Seattle. _"I think he went a little overboard, this is defiantly too much."

Edward just shook his head. "Trust me, he could have done a whole lot better if he wanted. One thing you'll have to get used to is that whenever we do something, it's always done in a high fashion."

High fashion? I scoff to myself. If I was going to marry him, I'd indeed have to get used to all of these things. A young man in a valet uniform walks up to the car and pecks on the passenger side window, signaling for Edward to roll it down.

"Hello sir. Do you have more people coming or is this an only party?" He questioned impatiently.

"We're alone," Edward responded bluntly. "I want this parked somewhere close, I don't want it far away," His tone was equally as curt as the valet worker as he got out of the car, throwing the keys to the valet worker. He came to my side to open my door, and with both suitcases in hand, I followed him inside, turning my head to the man taking the car into the parking garage.

After thirty minutes of constant bickering with the receptionist at the front desk about how I was underage and they wouldn't allow me to stay with Edward, a good healthy tip finally shut her mouth. I didn't see how much it was he had left her, but I knew that it had to have been quite a bit.

Edward wrapped his arms around me as we entered the elevator, and I leaned in against him, resting my head against his shoulder as we slowly waited to arrive the fortieth floor. We passed four doors until we finally reached our room, and I slid the card key through the bronze lock to open it. Pushing it open, I breathed in a deep strong scent of cinnamon and apples.

"Oh, wow, this place is beautiful," I muttered in awe at the sight of the room. Standing from the doorway, you had a view through the living room and into the unenclosed bedroom. The furniture was a stylish collection of a dark brown suede seating and dark brown cherry wood tables. The bedroom had a huge king size bed with a fluffy, white, feather comforter and matching pillows. There was a huge window to the right of the bed that dominated the entire east wall, giving a view of the beautiful Seattle nightlife.

"This is nice," Edward smiled, placing the suitcases beside the bed.

I walked over to the bed and rubbed my hands over the comforter, and let myself fall back onto it. Edward sat down onto the bed, and looked down at me. "I'm going to call for dinner, I'm starving, and I know you are."

I nodded, and laid there as I watched him call room service.

When we finished dinner, Edward decided it'd be nice to give the Jacuzzi a try; to just sit back and enjoy the free night we had together alone. I'd already received the call from Esme for the night, telling me Caleb was doing perfectly fine, and that he was sleeping. So I decided that I'd take Edward's offer to relax in the Jacuzzi with him.

I walked over to the window and pulled the bay window's curtains closed, and began to slip out of my clothing. Edward was already over at the Jacuzzi, filling two cups of Champagne Alice had snuck into the car while Esme wasn't paying attention, and placed them side by side in front of the large mirror that sat directly above the Jacuzzi.

Still a little timid with showing him my body, I wrapped myself in a towel and padded across the plush carpet over to him, placing a kiss on his shoulder as he slipped into the steamy water. Rose petals floated in the water, and I smiled, having not noticed it before.

"There's no need to cover yourself, I know your body very well," Edward smiled and tugged the bottom corner of the large fluffy towel until it fell to my feet. Sliding his fingers up my leg to my hand, he pulled on it gently and I stepped into the tub, slowly sitting myself into its hot water, and resting in Edward's embrace against his chest.

Cupping water into my hands, I poured it onto my chest and over my shoulders, letting the hotness soak into my skin. Edward reached over and handed me my glass of champagne, clicking the rim of it against mine. "To a three day vacation that the both of us needed."

I nodded and drained every drop from my glass, licking my lips in satisfaction.

"This is really nice. I'm glad we were able to get out. I really do miss Caleb, but a couple nights to ourselves is nice as well," I spoke softly, resting my cheek against his perfectly sculpted chest, pecking kisses against it.

"I miss my little tyke as well, but I know he's being well taken care of, so I don't worry as much." As I nodded, he pushed my hair behind my ear, lifting my chin up so I was looking him in the eyes. "You know I love you, right?" He asked me in a quiet whisper.

I stared at him for a moment, trying to see where he was going with this. "Of course I know you love me, why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I just feel like I haven't been showing or telling you the way I should. We've had so many problems with Caleb, I feel like I don't tell you enough."

"Edward," I paused, breathing in a sigh. "I know we've been going through a lot, but not one moment have I thought, or will I ever consider that you do not love me until the day you tell me to my face." I raised my hand to his face and caressed his cheek gently. " I love you. Never forget it."

He smiled and leaned down so that my lips pressed against his. Our tongues intertwined in such a slow, romantic embrace that I almost forgot to breath. He pressed his back against the side of the tub and pulled me into his lap so that I was straddling him. I slid my arms up and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer to me; my chest pressed against his.

A low groan sounded through his chest, encouraging me to deepen the kiss. His arms wrapped around my back, and ran up and down my back, gripping my sides, pressing me closer to him each time. "Mm, Edward," I moaned, my lips breaking from his as my head rolled back.

His lips slid down my neck and to my chest, and gently sucked and massaged them as his teeth grazed my nipples, causing me to cry out. His tongue flicked and teased them both before he kissed his way up to my lips, pressing his lips against mine once more, only to pull away and whisper "Let's continue this over there," pointing to the bed that was on the other side of the room.

One arm slid behind my back and the other under my legs, and lifted me from the water and carried me over to he bed. Our bodies dripped with water, but he seemed to ignore it because he laid me onto the bed, crawling on top of me, his lips kissing from my thighs, to my stomach, and up to my lips.

I could feel his extremely hardened erection against my thighs, and it brought back memories of the night of heated passion that was almost a year ago, the night he broke my barrier and created our beloved son. "Edward, I want you now," I whispered against his lips.

He nodded and broke the kiss, his lips lingering down to my neck as I felt his hardened shaft thrust into me. I cried out in a mixture of lust and pain; the pain fading rather quickly. It'd been so long since we'd shared intimate relations that I almost forgot how it felt.

"Ooo, Bella," Edward groaned, his teeth nipping hard against the side of my neck. "It feels just like -"

"- the first time," I gasped out, finishing the sentence for him. One of my legs wrapped around his waist, pressed against him, causing him to go deeper within me.

The arousing passion we shared finally came to an end an hour and a half later, when the both of us came to a rocking climax that took both of our breaths away for several minutes. When my breath finally returned, the only thing we both managed to say, and ironically at the same time; was that we loved each wasn't until later when I was sound asleep that I was reminded about something; We hadn't used protection.

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**  
A/N: **And, there is a very sloppy chapter. Literally people, this chapter gave me hell, which only made it even more shittier. Over the past week I've read a new book series called "Immortals", (1st book called Evermore, 2nd Blue Moon) and the present tense in which its told totally messed with my head and so the chapter was literally in both past and present tense. WTF, right? Thanks to my beta, she thinks she covered everything. If not, just ignore it; there was A LOT of mistakes. Any who, it might be a little bit before I post the next one, maybe the most is two weeks. I've only 7 weeks left before my son Jace is born, and having to care for my son Jaden is just stressing me out, thanks to the fact I really don't have any help. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be a good one, and it'll defiantly be nicely long and more things are going to be revealed. Hope everyone likes it!!  
**Remember now:** I **3** _Reviews, PM's and Flames!!_

Toodles ;) **::** **Granite Paw****s** **::**


	5. Confession

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own anything of from the Twilight Series, all of it belongs to Stephenie Meyer. However, the plot does belong to me, because it was my idea._

**Summary: **They had all their plans made. Their happily ever after was in their reach, until a family secret that nobody saw coming intercedes. One secret can change everything, can Bella and Edward still have their happy after, or will the new situations ruin everything? Sequel to **"An Absent Pulse"**

**Chapter 5: ** Confession 

_**Bella's POV**_

__A couple weeks had passed since our weekend getaway to Seattle, and everything was going fairly well. The both of us had been glad to get home to Caleb, we'd missed him dearly. Though deep down inside me, even though it's foolish to admit, I'd wished the getaway could have lasted a little longer. Things had just been so hard at home that whenever we went out, even to just get groceries, I'd regret having to come home.

Caleb was currently in his room asleep while I washed clothes and worked on dinner while Edward was at work. He was supposed to be coming home by seven. The loud wail from the dryer came from the laundry room, so after turning the one of the stove's eyes on low, I grabbed the baby monitor from off the counter and went to start folding clothes.

Carlisle was still keeping a daily check on Caleb, but nothing had changed except one thing. There had been another problem to occur with him, and it was the same one I was having, chilled skin. Our temperatures were both low, which was causing our skin to be cold, but the weird thing was that we weren't sick. There was nothing physically or internally wrong with us, that they could find anyway.

Caleb's eating habits had finally been settled thanks to the drops Carlisle had given us. He only ate ever three to four hours, and he ate four ounce bottles now. His weight had boosted up four more pounds as well, which now made him eight pounds. The three little mysterious drops to ever bottle had made wonders for Edward and I. The past week we'd actually been able to sleep through the night since Caleb had no longer been waking up.

He was now two months as well, and to beat all the problems we were having with him, he was advanced for his age, even after being born two months early. When we'd lay him on his stomach, our little tyke would raise his head and look all around. He'd coo and giggle when being talked to, when we'd sit with him in our laps he'd sit straight up for the longest before falling back against us, and his first tooth, which was was his right fang had already broke through the gum.

Now that I'd had a good eight weeks of recovery, I'd been talking to Edward about me going out to look for a job. He didn't like the idea of me leaving Caleb with anyone else, and neither did I, but the college fund money I'd had saved up was getting pretty low, and I was wanting things to be easier for Edward as well. He went to school for eight hours a day, and turned around and worked until seven or eight o'clock at night. Another reason I didn't want to work was because I wanted to be able to spend more time with him, but it wasn't just his duty to take care of our family, it was both of ours.

Here recently we'd also been talking about going to college. He still had a couple more months until his last credit was finished since he was be graduating early, but it'd been on my mind a lot too now. We both knew it'd be hard to juggle everything since we had Caleb, and we'd be working as well, but I wanted to be have an education, even if I was a mother. I would have to at least get seven thousand dollars saved up if I did, but Edward's parents had his college funds fully covered.

A few days ago I'd received a call from Renee in Arizona, and she was wanting us to go visit; Phil had offered to pay for round trip tickets. Christmas was barely two weeks away, but I wanted to be here for Caleb's first Christmas. So we'd made arrangements that we'd leave out the morning of the 26th and we'd come back on the 31st, because Edward and I were going to be throwing a New Year's party with all of our friends here at the apartment since Esme had agreed to watch Caleb for that night.

I folded up the last bit of laundry, and stacking three baskets on top of each other, I grabbed them and headed upstairs to put them away. After Edward's and mine were put away, I walked quietly into Caleb's room and began putting his away; my little Edward Jr. was still sound asleep. I hung up the last sleeper and walked over to his crib, placing a kiss on his forehead and walked back downstairs.

After going back into the laundry room to get the baby monitor, I walked back into the kitchen and began warming up dinner and setting the table. As soon as I began filling up two glasses of Orange Juice for us, I heard the front door open. I smiled; the love of my life was home.

Putting the carton back into the refrigerator, I walked into living room where Edward was shrugging off his dark blue parka. He turned around and smiled when he saw me, and I smiled back. I looked at him from head to toe, just like I did everyday he came in. Back six months ago, I would have told you that there would be no way that Edward and I would be together, but now? I had now idea what I'd do if we weren't.

He walked over to me, hugging me tightly against his chest, kissing me lovingly and deeply. I sighed, a few moments later and pulled away. "I missed you," I said softly to him.

"Missed you too, and Caleb. Where is he?" Edward asked.

"He's asleep. Go upstairs and get cleaned up, I'll be waiting on you down here. Dinner's on the table." He nodded, giving me one last kiss before walking up the stairs, slipping of the black scrub top he wore. He had to wear scrubs while working at his father's office.

A few minutes later he came back downstairs and joined me at the table, and we began filling our plates. Meatloaf, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and rolls was what we were having. He took a large gulp of his juice, and then began to talk.

"Before I left work my dad said he wanted us to come over, he said there was something that he and my mom needed to talk to Alice and I about, but that it involved you and Caleb as well. Not for sure what it is, but you're going to go, right?" He asked.

I nodded. "Of course. I wonder what it's about? You don't think there's anything wrong, do you?"

He shrugged. "I really have no idea what to expect. He seemed pretty nervous, and my father's never nervous about anything. But whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Yeah, hopefully not. After we leave, would you like to go finish up all the Christmas shopping? Or are you too tired?" I asked him. We already had the house decorated very beautifully, but we still had quite a few presents to get some of our friends and Caleb. On Christmas Eve there was going to be a get together at Carlisle and Esme's for gift exchanges and a small dinner.

"Tomorrow's Friday, can we go then? I mean we can go today, it's just today has been a very long day and to be honest I'm beat. I don't even want to go to my parents house, I just want to curl up in bed with you and Caleb for the rest of the night." His tone was very tired, and I could tell by the black circles under his eyes that he was really tired as well. He needed the rest.

"Yeah, we can go tomorrow. No need to bother with it tonight. Curling up in bed when we get back tonight sounds like a good idea. I miss being able to spend that kind of time with you," I said seriously, a slight frown coming onto my face.

He nodded, his face matching mine. " Yeah, me too," he said distantly.

We finished eating and since Caleb was still asleep, we decided to jump into the shower together so that it wouldn't take us that long getting ready. Once we were washed up, we stood under the warm water, just hugging each other. My head rested against his chest, and his head rested on top of mine. I took advantage of the times we could be together like this. We didn't get many of them, but when we did, it was the best time ever.

I heard a few cackling coo's come from the the baby monitor sitting on the back of the toilet, which meant Caleb was awake. We both got out and Edward told me to go ahead and get ready and that was he was going to get Caleb changed, so I did.

I walked back to our room after giving both of my favorite men a few kisses and began getting dressed. After slipping on my undergarments were on I put on a hooded long sleeved navy shirt and a pair of skinny jeans that would go nice with my black snow boots. There was no way I'd be wearing any other type of shoes since there was over nine inches of snow out. I raked a brush through my hair and after putting on a tad bit of make up, I went to Caleb's room where Edward had just finished getting him ready. He wore a cute green jacket and a pair of jeans and a pair of baby green converses that we'd bought him before he was born.

"Well doesn't my little booger look adorable. Just like his Daddy," I cooed as Edward handed him to me. Edward kissed us both once again and went to get ready while I got the diaper bag ready and headed downstairs to wait for him. I slipped on a black fur jacket Edward had recently purchased for me, and just as I pushed the dish washer on Edward walked into the kitchen.

"Ready to go, Bella?" He asked, peaking into the kitchen. I turned around nodding, and smiled at how nice he looked. He wore a dark pair of jeans and a long sleeved white hooded sweater. His bronze hair was just as messy as usual, and his green eyes sparkled like always.

"Don't you look handsome?" I smiled, walked over to him. He pushed me up against the wall and feverishly began to kiss me. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" He asked me, and I shook my head no. "Of course not. I'm glad we're not going out tonight, because I'd have to beat up every guy that laid eyes on you." A soft chuckle and a kiss later, I put a warm blanket over Caleb in his car seat and we walked out, getting into the car.

It took us about thirty minutes to get to Edward's parents house due to the slippery roads. It'd came one hell of a blizzard a few days ago, and there were snow plows everywhere. Finally getting there, we pulled up to the driveway and parked next to Carlise's black Mercedes. I noticed a dark silver BMW beside Alice's Porsche, which meant Jasper was here as well. Glad it wasn't Rosalie.

Getting out of the car, I grabbed Caleb's bag while Edward got Caleb's car seat, and we walked up to the door. After giving a few knocks, we walked inside; Esme immediately greeted us.

"Edward, Bella. I've missed you all," she said with a warm smile, giving us both hugs. "And how has little Caleb been?"

"He's been doing great, actually. He's been sleeping through the night and everything, which is a big relief," I said staring down at Caleb in his car seat. He laid there, staring at a few toys that dangled in front of him.

"Where Dad at?" Edward asked as we followed Esme into the sitting room.

"He's in his office; I'll go get him now," she said, disappearing.

No longer did we sit down onto the white ivory swede couch, Alice turned the corner with Jasper at her side. "About time you guys get here! Where's little Caleb? I want to see my adorable nephew," she babbled as she took him out of his car seat, and began to drown him in kisses. Jasper sat down beside Edward and they both became engrossed in a conversation, which left me with no one to talk to.

My eyes drifted around the room, taking in the scenery of all the pricey art and ceramics that filled the room. I'd never grown up around this type of stylish and luxurious things. The most expensive thing that had to be in Charlie's house had to be the antique piano that belonged to me late Gran Marie. One painting that did catch my eye was one that had to have been painted back in the sixteen or seventeen hundreds, of a couple holding a small baby boy with a light blond hair.

The woman, -who was insanely beautiful- wore a ball gown the color of a faint aquamarine. Her hair was pulled up halfway, and was styled in perfect sandy ringlets. They cascaded down to her lower back. The man however -who had a very similar resemblance to Carlisle- was in a white suit, with a blazer the same color of his wife's dress. The little boy wore only a cloth diaper. His arms were stretched out as if taking in a big yawn; he rested in the arms of his father.

I sighed, staring at how happy the couple looked. That's the way I wanted to be with Edward. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to be in a happy relationship where we had no problems, where we weren't always stressed out. I wanted him to be happy for me being his fiance, and for Caleb making him a father. I didn't care about luxary, or living in style. The only thing I wanted was to have a happy family. To have a family that would never be part until the end of our days. Things had been good with Edward the past couple of weeks, but something deep inside me kept telling me that was going to change soon. Man, I sure hoped not.

Carlise and Esme walked back into the living room around ten minutes later, caring a very thick ancient folder. Did I say this folder was old? Or was it a book? Whatever it was, you could tell it had to be either a family heirloom passed down from many generations. It was bound in brown leather, though it was cracked and parted with age.

They sat down on the love seat in front of us, putting the book on the table. Alice had brought down the bouncer Caleb had here in his nursery and put him in it to play. She took a seat beside me.

"First things first. Jasper. I know how close you are to this family, that's why I am allowing you to stay here. I see you becoming my son in law in the future, and I feel this information should be shared with you as well. There is one thing I ask of you though, and I'm very serious when I say it," Carlisle said. All eyes were on Jasper and he just nodded. "The information that is about to be shared with all of you is _extremely, extremel_y confidential. If there was any way something like this was to get out, it would ruin our family."

Jasper nodded. "I understand, Carlisle."

Carlisle nodded. "Very well. What I'm about to share with you Edward, Alice, is something that should not be taken as a joke. We thought this was the right time to be sharing this information with you two. There's no need for Esme and I to keep these secrets from you, since they now include Bella and Caleb."

Caleb and I? What could any of this have to do with us? Edward and Alice nodded, and I simply just continued to watch him.

Carlisle opened the book and pulled out a piece of parchment that had to be at least three hundred years old. "I would like for the three you you -Edward, Alice, Bella- to read this document. It was made back in the sixteen twenties. It's pretty beaten up, but you will be able to read some of it." I leaned over to read the paper and a gasp slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

**Edward's POV**

Bella held the paper between Alice and me, and I really couldn't believe what I saw. From what it looked like, it was a type of birth certificate, made in the late sixteen twenties. The name of the child that was on the birth certificate, … was my father's. Carlisle Cullen, it read, son of Florence and Fredrick Cullen, born March 28th, 1626. The certificate had been made in London, where my father was supposed to have been born. But how in the hell was he supposed to be, what, four hundred years old?

"I'm a little confused," I said, looking up at my dad. "The date on this is four centuries old. You want me to believe that this belongs to you?"

I wasn't expecting it, but he nodded. Was he really crazy? "That picture over there," he said, pointing to the picture I'd seen Bella looking at earlier, "is of my mother and father... and me." He said.

I looked up at it, staring at it for a moment, then looked back down at him. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

He shook his head, and my mother rubbed his back gently, trying to comfort him. "No Edward, it's far from a joke. As stated on that document, that was the day I was conceived."

"I grew up in a large estate with my mother and father, your grandparents. My parents were hardly ever around. Once I was three years old, my parents took off on some kind of _getaway_, and only stopped in once a year. Every time I saw them they never seemed to change. There appearance, I mean. By the time I was twelve, my mother still looked like the twenty-four year old who'd given birth to me. There was no signs of aging to either of them. The night before my twentieth birthday, my mother committed suicide. There was a large building built outside the back of our estate which had been a storage room for weapons. She drenched the building in gasoline and burnt herself alive."

A few days after her funeral, my father sat me down and explained to me something. He explained to me the same very thing I'm about to explain to you. The reason my parents were never around, was because he claimed they, were vampires. I scoffed at what he'd said, but he did something, that made me want to take back my remark I'd made. He walked over to a iron gate that covered a bookcase and broke it off it's hinges." He took a breath, and continued. "On one of the shelves sat a silver dagger with a large red ruby on it's handle, and plunged it through his chest. I screamed and ran over to him, waiting for him to fall to the ground and bleed to death, only he didn't. He pulled out the dagger and unbuttoned his shirt to show me the place where the dagger had went through, to only see that the mark was healing by itself. In less than one minute, it'd went away, leaving nothing but a very light scar."

I stared at him, wide eyed at what he'd just told us. "A vampire. Are you serious?" There was no way I was going to be taking this seriously. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I see you laughing. Yet, when it comes to your Caleb's absent pulse, I never see you laugh. I have no pulse, nor a heartbeat. You don't know that because tell me, have I ever been sick? Have you ever went with me to the doctor? How long has it been, since you've actually hugged me? The drops that I gave you to put in his formula, changed it what color, pink? Why do you think he's so advanced to be only two months old? And to beat it all, why is it that out of all the teeth he could grow, he's growing a fang first?"

"Don't you dare bring my son into this," I snapped.

"You see, Edward? You have nothing to say, because you don't know anything about his condition. I however, do. " My father stood up, and began unbuttoning his shirt. My mother shook her head, staring at the floor as she handed him a large butcher knife. What in the hell? "You see this knife?" He waved it in his hand. A second later, he began plunging it through his chest. He did it ten times before Alice and Bella could pry it out of his hand, but when they did, there was no blood. Not one single drop. All the gashes in his chest began to slowly sizzle, and one by one, they closed up. "I do not bleed. I do not age. I have no heart beat. My body is frozen. It's been frozen the day I conceived. When I was born, my mother's body had two choices to choose from. To die or to accept the vampiric genes my father had passed onto me since she was human, that would be passing to her once the cord was cut. Her body accepted them, and she became a half-vampire; just like Caleb is."

"I know you're not going to believe any of this, so I've booked a flight for tomorrow morning to Volterra, Italy, where you grandfather, Fredrick Cullen resides."

I was unable to speak. Alice finally spoke up. The first time since he'd started talking. "Dad, are you serious? Do you really want us to believe that were all vampires and that our grandfather is still alive?"

He buttoned back up his shirt, and sat back down next to my mom. "You can believe what you want to believe, but you better start packing. Our plane leaves at nine." My mother handed him a handful of blue packets and he tossed them onto the coffee table. Seven airplane tickets and passports fell onto the table.

And that's when, all hell broke loose.

**A/N: **So... how did you guys like it? I've just gotten back into writing recently, and this is one story that needs to be complete. I know it's been forever, and for those who read it, I highly appreciate it. I know it's not long, and it lacks a LOT of description, but I wanted for Edward's grandfather to do that. _**REVIEW, PM'S, AND FLAMES**_are highly appreciated, you should know that. The next chapter should be up in less than two weeks. I'm working on two other stories at the moment as well, so bear with me. :)

Thanks..

**[A B3LIKOV ROZA]**


	6. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**TO ALL MY READERS!**

I'm very sorry that the story hasn't been updated like it was supposed to, but I'm in search of a beta. I've already sent out 12 PMS to people but no one has yet to respond,  
so now I'm posting the author's note. If anyone knows of someone who would beta my story, or who would like to offer, I'd highly appreciate it.  
The main things I ask for in a beta is someone who's very good at grammar and puncations. Also, somone who's good at tenses.  
When doing first, I tend to get present and past mixed up. A keen eye is always good, and also someone who would be willing to help me througout the story, plot wise and such.  
If anyone is interested or knows of anyone who might be, please let me know ASAP! Because until then, I can't post anything :(

**To contact me, PM me here on Fanfiction or send me an email to**: shikamarus_

Thank you all very much :) **- A Belikov Roza -**


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